On Stage

Morgantown resident Lionel McCulloch, age 12, had an idea to write a funny musical about the Three Little Pigs. The show, “Makin’ Bacon,” will be produced this month on the stage of the Vagabond Acting Troupe at the Arts House in Honey Brook.

It’s not his first produced musical, but it’s the first one he’s written almost entirely by himself. Morgantown resident Lionel McCulloch, 12 years old, had an idea to write a funny musical about the Three Little Pigs, and the colorful and upbeat show will be produced this month on the stage of the Vagabond Acting Troupe at the Arts House, 30 Fairview Road, Honey Brook, Pa., Chester County, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m., Oct. 19 at noon and Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 19, there is a pancake breakfast at 10:30 a.m. (and yes, there will be bacon!) McCulloch, who attends the Agora Cyber Charter School, where he is a 7th grader in 8th grade Language Arts and 9th grade Math, says he was inspired to write the play after the theater company, recently named number 1 on the PHL 17 Hotlist for Children’s Entertainment, ran a poster contest. “My friend Dayton Witouski did a poster design for a play that doesn’t exist — “Makin’ Bacon” — with a picture of the behinds of the three little pigs on it. I loved that, and wanted to turn that poster into a real play!” “Makin’ Bacon” follows the adventures of three young pigs, played by Jasper Krikorian (Morgantown), Maddie Walker (Coatesville) and McCulloch, as they must go on their own when Mama Pig (Emily Rader of Honey Brook) and Papa Pig (Celia Hernandez) sends them off with a warning to avoid the wolf.For more information on the play, visit the company’s website at www.vagabondactingtroupe.org. Tickets are also available on brownpapertickets.com.

If you love music, murder and mayhem, then Berwyn’s Footlighters Theater’s production of “Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical” is just the thing for you this Halloween season. Set in the always spooky, Victorian England, J & H is the tale of a dedicated doctor’s descent into madness. It’s the well-known story, his intentions are good but playing with the “sacred life-force” is a prescription for disaster. Allen Puy of Exton is the infamous Jekyll/Hyde. His best friend, Gabriel Utterson (Patrick Ruegsegger, Claymont, Del.) tries desperately to save the good doctor and he’s aided in this attempt at salvation by Emma Carew (Kelly Quirk, Morton), Jekyll’s fiancée and her father, Sir Danvers Carew (Pete Rolston, Berwyn) all of whom try to steer Jekyll from his destructive path. “Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical” with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn performs at 58 Main Avenue in Berwyn, 19312 on Oct. 18, 19, 25, 26, 31, Nov. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 at 8 p.m.; tickets $16 / $8 under 18 yrs. and Oct. 20, 27, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.; tickets $13 / $6 under 18 yrs. Ticket prices are the same online or at the door. For more info or reservations: FootlightersTheater.com.

The Department of Theatre and Dance at West Chester University presents “GODSPELL, the 2012 revival” in the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre/ Performing Arts Ctr. on Oct. 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 at 8 p.m. an Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. The theatre is located at 817 South High Street, West Chester, Pa. Tickets: $12 Students (w/ID), and Senior citizens. $15 Reserved Seating.610-436-2533 Purchase at http://tickets.wcupa.edu/. Originally directed by John-Michael Tebelak, with music and new lyrics by Grammy and Academy Award-winning original composer Stephen Schwartz, the production is a collaboration between Theatre and Dance faculty, students, and professional guest artists from the Philadelphia metro area. Set by the director in present-day Philadelphia, this production updates the universal tale of friendship, loyalty and love based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew with such popular hits as “Day By Day,” “Learn Your Lessons Well” and “Turn Back, O Man.” Godspell is one of the biggest off-Broadway successes of all time. New this year for WCU Theatre and Dance, all production tickets can be purchased online and printed at home. Please go to http://tickets.wcupa.edu/ and for information on this show or 51st Season subscriptions, call 610-436-2533. For more on the WCU Department of Theatre and Dance’s 51th Season, go to www.wcupa.edu/CVPA/theatreDance.

People’s Light & Theatre presents “The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith” running Oct. 16-Nov. 24 on the Steinbright Stage. People’s Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets call 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org. “The Devil’s Music” features the soulful and sultry sound of legendary blues singer Bessie Smith as portrayed by Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award-nominated performer Miche Braden. “The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith” was created by a collaboration between Braden, director Joe Brancato, and playwright Angelo Parra. It had its world premiere in 2000 at Penguin Repertory Theatre in Stony Point, NY. Since then, Braden has performed the show in regional theatres across the country, including Off-Broadway in 2011. The play is set in a Memphis buffet flat – a private after-hours establishment full of music, spirits, and revelry. Parra imagines the evening before Bessie Smith’s final moments in 1937 and we encounter the Empress of the Blues performing with a live band, bantering with band leader, Pickle, and telling the audience about her life, love, and career. Braden describes her as “feisty” and “free…She was whoever she wanted to be.” Director Joe Brancato adds that “She doesn’t accept anything that’s mediocre.” Parra explains that the play is a “living entity,” as Braden constantly refines the work. Each production has been “unique, effervescent, and more inspiring.” The play opens on Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 24. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists for a conversation about the production after the Thursday performances on Oct. 24 and Nov. 7, 14 & 21, 2013.

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“Diva’s Lament” will be performed by Tony nominated actress Ann Crumb when The Media Theatre presents the hilarious Monty Python musical “Spamalot” Sept. 25 – Nov. 3. She has appeared on Media’s stage previously in the acclaimed productions “Master Class”, “Wings,” and “Souvenir.” In those three productions she was directed by Artistic Director Jesse Cline. “Ann is a legendary actress who delighted audiences in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Aspects of Love” on Broadway and in London’s West End,” Cline said. “Her talent is extraordinary and she will bring a fresh life to The Lady of the Lake.” Monty Python’s “Spamalot” is a comedic musical based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It received the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical. Much like the classic film from the ‘70s, it follows a non-traditional and surreal strand of humor as King Arthur journeys to find the Holy Grail. The King recruits several eccentric and somewhat ridiculous Knights for his quest. Along the way they meet The Lady of the Lake, Prince Herbert, The Knights of Ni and a few other bizarre characters. For tickets to Monty Python’s “Spamalot” at The Media Theatre, call 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org.

People’s Light & Theatre presents N. Richard Nash’s “The Rainmaker” running Sept. 18-Oct. 13 on the Leonard C. Haas Stage. Abigail Adams directs. People’s Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, Pa. 19355. For tickets, call 610-644-3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org. People’s Light and Theatre Company opens its 2013-14 season with a sweet note of romance in “The Rainmaker.” This heartfelt classic is set in 1936 during the late summer in the sweeping landscape of Western Iowa at a time of drought. Cattle are “down and out” on the Curry ranch and temperatures are a stifling 104 degrees at night. As the relentless sun scorches the grasses’ verdure and desperation creeps into the characters’ lives, a young woman’s search for love begins when a picaresque stranger with a “mellifluous tongue” enters and claims that he can bring rain. “The Rainmaker” opened on Sept. 21 and runs through Oct. 13. Single tickets: $26 - $46. For tickets, call the Box Office at 610.644.3500. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610-647-1900 x111 or email wright@peopleslight.org.

Walnut Street Theatre opens its landmark 205th season with the groundbreaking 21st century musical “In The Heights.” Directed by Bruce Lumpkin, with choreography by Michelle Gaudette, this exhilarating musical about chasing your dreams and finding your true home opened on Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 20 on the WST Mainstage. “In The Heights” tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner coffee shop is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes and dreams where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. With a gripping story and incredible music and dance, “In The Heights” is the next chapter in the classic American story. For tickets and information, call 215-574-3550 or 800-982-2787. Tickets are also available online 24/7 by visiting www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org or Ticketmaster.

Peddler’s Village Murder Mystery Dinner Theater series in the Peddler’s Pub at the Cock ‘n Bull Restaurant is performing “Bewitched, Dewitched,” Friday and Saturday nights now through Dec. 28. The cost for the show is $51.95 per person, which includes dinner, show, tax and service charge. Produced by Without Cue Productions, “Bewitched, Dewitched” promises an evening full of fun and suspense! All “people of magic” have lost their powers, and Samantha Stephens has called a special Witches’ Council. Aunt Clara still has a few spells left, and she summons a detective to help. Unfortunately, the detective she summons is the bumbling Inspector Clouseau of Pink Panther fame. Understandably, the Inspector has difficulty coping with witchcraft and murder, but perhaps he can solve the mystery—with the guests’ help! Guests should arrive in the lobby of the Cock ‘n Bull Restaurant by 7 p.m. Cocktail service is available. Groups are welcome. For mature audiences only, children under 18 are not permitted to attend. Reservations are required for the Peddler’s Village Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. For more information and reservations, call 215-794-4051.

The national tour of the hilarious new show “You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up!,” a relationship comedy that People magazine called “LAUGH OUT LOUD!”, continues its tour with a premiere in Philadelphia at the New Penn’s Landing Playhouse (inside the Independence Seaport Museum) 211 S. Columbus Blvd. and Walnut St. Opening night was Oct. 2 and the show will run through Dec. 29. Presented by Philip Roger Roy and Dana Matthow, “You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up!” is the hilarious comedy about relationships, love and marriage. After 17 years of marriage, writers-actors-and real-life-married-couple Annabelle Gurwitch (“Dinner and a Movie,” Fired!) and Emmy Award winner Jeff Kahn (“The Ben Stiller Show,” The 40-Year-Old Virgin) have adapted their hilarious, often moving, memoir for the stage, directed by Van Kaplan. It stars Robin Abramson and Gregory Johnstone who have been hailed for their roles in this play. “You Say Tomato” will run in the evenings on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. with matinee performances at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices are $35 to $55 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $45 to $60 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Group rates begin with 12 tickets. To purchase tickets, call 855-448-7469 (855-HIT-SHOW) or order online at PLPlayhouse.com. Group tickets begin with 12 tickets and can be purchased by phone at 1-888-264-1788 or through e-mail at mwallach1@comcast.net.